How Did Gilgamesh Become Selfish

875 Words4 Pages
Gilgamesh is an epic tale based on the turbulent life of a demigod king who journeys from a tyrant to a man embarking on a personal journey of modesty and contempt. The tale embodies a series of paradoxes where Gilgamesh lives an extraordinary life filled with honor, power, humility, defeat and victory only to end in life’s biggest reality, death. Gilgamesh began his journey as the powerful and feared King of Uruk, who was both divine and human. He was a fierce warrior beguiled in his reputation and might. He began his kingship as a cruel and ruthless ruler who lorded over his subjects; he selfishly indulged his appetite by raping whatever woman he desired, whether she was the wife of a warrior or a new bride on her wedding night. The gods heard their subjects’ pleas and in order to create a balance, they created someone strong enough to keep a check on Gilgamesh;…show more content…
Gilgamesh needed a peer, someone who would be able to challenge him and he found that in Enkidu. They both relied on each other’s strengths and weakness to survive through their adventures. Upon the seal of this great friendship, Gilgamesh began to change his selfish ways; he opened a place in his heart and his life for his new brother and his life long companion. He calmed his destructive urges, making him less wild and more human. Just as Enkidu once identified more with animals than with people, Gilgamesh himself was once a ruthless, violent animal until Enkidu came along. After their friendship, Gilgamesh turned all his negativities outward. Using their combined strength they defeated the evil Humbaba .The people labeled Gilgamesh as ‘evil’, but after this great deed Gilgamesh felt like a better person as he defended his city and the people in it hence making a name for him and changing the views that those people had about him. This brought a change in

More about How Did Gilgamesh Become Selfish

Open Document